'They thought I was an addict': People with disabilities humiliated at Centrelink

Since publishing a story about a WA mother asked by Centrelink whether her son "still had" Down Syndrome, WAtoday has been flooded with emails from people about their Centrelink experiences: tales of dehumanisation, heartbreak and insult.

'Lisa' said herself and her four daughters had been diagnosed with autism, and she had experienced problems when following up on her carer's payment.

"I had a meltdown in Centrelink. People near me thought I was an addict," she said.

"A security guard stood near me not speaking while I hit my head into a column, and when I could finally speak, [I was] stammering and incoherent.

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"I tried to talk to a staff member about when my daughter's appointment was, [but] they thought I was her.

"I showed them ID and she said 'why are you pretending... you’re not on a disability pension, you're a carer.’

"Since then, when [I’m] called into Centrelink, I weigh up the alternatives of losing whatever money it might be.

"I have seriously considered whether it would be better to all die rather than face those people again."

Ex-truck driver 'Nigel' said he was asked to confirm with the service he still had one eye.

"I have sight in one eye after being on the receiving end of a ‘Cowboys and Indians’ arrow at the age of eight," he said.

"After 60 years of driving with one eye, I finally got caught out in a eye test and lost my truck license ... with a duly-noted certificate from a local optician, I was cleared for Newstart.

"A year later I was again asked to produce documentation to prove that, in their words – I had not grown a new eye. I kid you not."

Centrelink payments are administered through the Department of Social Services legislation, which dictates different assessment rules for child and adult care receivers.Credit:Jim Rice

"Further down the track, I was once asked if I ever contemplated self-harm or suicide. At my age. I left in tears. I walked out and didn’t go back to that particular job search facility."

Another woman, who asked for her name be withheld, said she felt the service didn't understand the nature of her disability, and her limitations.

"I am blind and there is no electronic application form. How can I be independent? I’ve received an out-of-date application form for rent assistance [before]. I filled it out because I thought it was the right form. I couldn’t see the expiration date on the form. When the form got processed, Centrelink said ‘we’ve sent you out the wrong form’," she said.

"This is debilitating ... I don’t have a support person, family member, or a friend who can help me out with my paperwork. I can’t see to sign a form."

Not all experiences were negative. Some praised how smoothly the process of transitioning between payments had gone, and said they understood the need for Centrelink's diligence.

"My transition into retirement and age pension application wasn't so bad," said 'Terence'.

"There are so many criminals, cheats, liars, fraudsters rorting the system via Centrelink I can understand them being super cautious.

"Having said all this, the current issues relating to intellectually handicapped must be sorted out and it appears it can't be done until new legislation rectifies these anomalies."

This is deeply insulting for disabled people and their families and deeply distressing for parents and family members.

Jordon Steele-John

'James' said both Centrelink and the National Disability Insurance Scheme exceeded his expectations.

"I am permanently disabled and on the disability support pension under the 'manifest' category, which means I do not need to be reassessed at any point in the future," he said.

"I found the whole process surprisingly easy, but had delayed it because of the horror stories the media portrays.

"Apart from an initial delay, I’ve had no issues with the NDIS.

"I guess there are some people who face problems, but the media should also include the success stories so the taxpayers of Australia who fund these things don’t lose confidence."

Department of Human Services spokesman Hank Jongen said the agency was striving to engage their customers.

"We are disappointed to hear of the experiences outlined by some of the customers ... and are more than happy to look into these cases to ensure the customers are receiving appropriate support," he said.

"Centrelink delivers a range of payments and services on behalf of the Australian Government, and many of the requirements for these payments – including requesting additional information from customers from time to time – are set out in legislation.

"This means we don’t have discretion to waive these requirements.

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"Every day – either face-to-face or over the phone – our staff engage with more than 100,000 people, some of whom are going through difficult times in their lives, and in the overwhelming majority of cases our staff do a difficult job well.

"We are committed to supporting Australians in need – wherever they may be – and have a range of specialist staff who go above and beyond to give an extra helping hand to our more vulnerable customers.

"This includes our social workers, community engagement officers and other specialist staff who often go into communities to support those who may not be able to get to us.

"Our staff also deliver recovery payments following natural disasters, working tirelessly to help get communities back on their feet ... however, we are committed to continually improving the customer experience, and providing different channels to give our customers greater choice in how they use our services."

The agency said in a customer satisfaction survey from 2017-18, 75.2 per cent of customers reported overall satisfaction regarding their most recent interaction with Centrelink.

More than 93 per cent also agreed staff treated them with respect, and more than 80 per cent said staff took their individual circumstances into account.

"For those who contact us by phone, more than 80 per cent of those surveyed said their queries were resolved during their call," Mr Jongen said.

Steps are also being taken to improve customers' online experiences.

"We are mid-way through a seven-year Welfare Payment Infrastructure Transformation Programme that is modernising our processes and technology to better meet the needs of all people," Mr Jongen said.

The National Disability Insurance Agency and jobactive are different agencies from Centrelink, and therefore have different roles and responsibilities. Centrelink is not responsible for their operation.

“This is not inconvenient. This is not an administrative oversight," he said. "This is deeply insulting for disabled people and their families and deeply distressing for parents and family members for whom interaction with Centrelink is often a really scary thing."